AT&T Next makes it easier to upgrade devices every year

So this is AT&T’s big news that they promised for today. The carrier now has a new option for those who want to upgrade their device as frequently as once a year. This new offering, called AT&T Next, won’t replace the other upgrade options currently offered by the carrier, and will work with existing data plans (including for customers who are grandfathered unlimited subscribers eligible for an upgrade).

The good news is that AT&T Next requires no down payment, activation, upgrade or financing fee. It is available with all smartphones and tablets, and to figure out your monthly price, just divide the full, no-contract price of any device by 20. In other words, the iPhone 5 (16 GB) will cost you $32.50/month, the Nokia Lumia 1020 – $33/month, Samsung Galaxy S4 – $32/month, and an iPad 16 GB Retina could be yours for $31.50/month.

You can then trade-in your device after 12 months, or keep using it and have no more installment payments after 20 months. Beyond the monthly device installment, there’s no additional monthly fee required to participate in AT&T Next.

AT&T Next will be available nationwide on July 26. At the moment, the carrier is piloting it in select stores in Las Vegas beginning today and may expand to other pilot locations before the nationwide launch.